Could you be a female firefighter?

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR) is urging women to sign up for the Have A Go session and find out what it takes to become a firefighter.

SYFR spokesman said the event aims to clarify and dispel many of the preconceptions people from under-represented areas of the community might have about joining the fire service.

Deputy chief fire officer John Roberts said: “Perceptions of the fire service as being a white male dominated organisation are changing and here in South Yorkshire we have already come a very long way, with firefighters from underrepresented groups including many women on the front line at fire stations all over the county.

“But at the same time we fully accept that we still have a long way to go before we become truly representative of the communities which we serve.

“The role of a firefighter has changed considerably in recent years, and we now play a vital social role, including youth work, fire safety initiatives and carrying out free home safety checks.

“The aim of this campaign is to give under represented groups, including women, an insight into what the role and selection process entails, and hopefully make them think about a career they may never have considered before.”

Last year, SYFR appointed its first new firefighters in eight years.

The eight recruits have completed their initial training and have joined fire stations following a passing out parade in Sheffield last week.

Although there are no immediate plans to open recruitment for full time firefighters, there remain opportunities for on-call firefighters and the service is keen to raise awareness of firefighting as a career amongst diverse groups should it recruit for frontline roles in the future.

The Have A Go Day for women will take place at SYFR's Handsworth training base on February 13.

If you are a woman and want to find out more about a career with the fire service, register for the event by emailing [email protected] or for more information visit www.syfrrecruitment.com.

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